Table of Contents
Cultural Significance
Sweetgrass is a sacred plant that has been used by many Indigenous peoples for centuries. It is known for its sweet aroma and is often burned as a form of incense or smudging during ceremonies, prayers, and other spiritual practices. The use of sweetgrass is deeply connected to Indigenous cultural and spiritual traditions. It is believed to be a gift from the Creator, and its smoke is said to carry prayers and intentions up to the spirit world. The plant is often braided, which is a symbol of the interconnectedness of all life and a way of honoring the three strands of Indigenous knowledge, scientific knowledge, and the innate knowledge of the plants themselves. Sweetgrass has been used by many different Indigenous peoples across North America, including the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Cree, Nipmuc, Wampanoag, Mohegan, Mohican, Abenaki, and Pequot. Its use varies by community, but it is generally considered to be a symbol of peace, harmony, and balance. In addition to its spiritual significance, sweetgrass also has practical uses. It has been used for medicinal purposes, as a natural insect repellent, and for basket weaving and other crafts.
Cultivating Sweetgrass
There are two options when it comes to planting sweetgrass: planting from seeds and planting from plugs. Planting from seeds is more labor-intensive, and it will take several years before the leaves are ready for harvesting and braiding. Plugs should be grown in a pot for a month before being transferred to a garden. Once they are ready to be moved, the plot should be weeded, the soil should be loosened and smoother, and the ground should be kept moist and fertilized. Soil quality is extremely important for the growing process. Blood meal and bone meal should be used instead of any chemical fertilizers. Liquid fish fertilizer can also be beneficial. It is also recommended to construct a barrier or fence around the plot of land, as the sweet smell of sweetgrass might attract rodents or other small pests. Maintaining sweetgrass can be challenging, as it requires a full-time caregiver until it is fully established. Daily ceremonies and gifting are conducted throughout the summer months as part of that caretaking. Once established, sweetgrass can be harvested once or twice a year (depending on the customs of the cultivators). When harvesting sweetgrass, the leaves should be cut rather than pulled, as pulling may damage the plant. Once harvested, the sweetgrass can be dried and braided according to custom.
What we accomplished
Our original goal was to create a garden of sweetgrass on campus this spring. We connected with several different people on campus in relation to this project. We were informed of an existing plot of land in front of Mandelle Hall that had been chosen for the purpose of planting sweetgrass. It was ideal because it is located in a no-mow zone and is in an area that receives a lot of water. However, the project came to an impasse when we started looking for sweetgrass plugs – it was hard to find them online, and what we did find would not ship for several months. Another constraint to this project was our role as students – sweetgrass requires intense, careful maintenance in the beginning stages of planting, but we will not be present over the summer to regulate that.
As of right now, the sweetgrass has arrived and will be planted soon. Our next goal is to find care for the garden over the summer
This section will be updated to reflect the future of this project once more details are known.
Proposed Signage for the Sweetgrass Garden, near the Mandelles (under development):
Sweetgrass Garden
Welcome to our Sweetgrass Garden, a place where we celebrate the cultural and spiritual significance of this plant, sacred to indigenous peoples of this region.
Sweetgrass has been used by indigenous peoples in the lands now called New England, such as Wampanoag, Mohegan, Nipmuc, and Abenaki—for thousands of years for a variety of purposes. It is used in ceremonies, as a medicinal herb, and as a natural insect repellent. It is also used in baskets, ropes, and other traditional crafts.
This garden is meant to honor the traditions and cultures of indigenous peoples, and to create a space where people of all backgrounds can come to learn and appreciate the importance of sweetgrass, the intensive care required to manage it, and the indigenous peoples who honed their relationship with nature to make this practice possible.
The Haudenosaunee, or “people of the longhouse,” commonly referred to as Iroquois or Six Nation, share a teaching about sweetgass. It is said to be the flowing hair of Skywoman gifted to us as skywoman’s daughter. The three strands represent the ways of knowing the world. They represent traditional ecological or ondigenous knowledge and scientific ecological knowledge, both of which are human ways of knowing. The third strand in these braids refers to the knowledge of the plants themselves.
As you explore the garden, take a moment to slow down, listen, breathe in the sweet aroma of the grass, and appreciate its beauty and wisdom. Notice the tall, slender blades and the delicate seed heads that sway in the breeze.
Take the time to learn about the history and significance of sweetgrass to native peoples in this region and consider how we can extend the work of restoring and indigenizing the land, honoring the cultural and scientific traditions of the original inhabitants of this area. Use the space to recognize your place in the displacement of these peoples and the motions needed to undo that damage. Take the time to learn not only histories of local indigenous people and ways of life, but also to learn about those who were displaced in the place you call home.
Thank you for visiting our Sweetgrass Garden, and we hope you leave with a deeper appreciation for the importance of this sacred plant and the people who cultivate it.
—This project emerged out of Professor Lucas Wilson’s First Year Seminar, “Explorations in Restorative and Transformative Justice” (Fall 2022) and Professor Mark Auslander’s “Decolonizing Museums” seminar (Anth-316DM), Spring 2023, in conversation with local indigenous teachers, the Zowie Bandeah Cultural Center, the Facilities Management Office, the Miller-Worley Center, and the Talcott Greenhouse on campus.
For more information: https://commons.mtholyoke.edu/decolonizingmuseums23/indigenizing-the-campus-landscape/sweetgrass/
Sources
SWEETGRASS (Hierochloe odorata) growing information (ecoseeds.com)
Sweetgrass: You asked, so we found the answers – Windspeaker.com